Elastic-tread vehicle-wheel.



J. MUARRBY. BLASTIG TREAD VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED FEBJS, 1907.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Win 66666 l JASPER MURREY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELASTIC-TREAD VEHICLE-YJHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed Februryl, 1997. Seria). No. 357,146.`

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be -it known that JASPER MURREY, a citizen of the United States, `residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Chio, have invented a lcertain new and useful Improvement 'in `Elastic-rlread VehicleWheels, of which the following is a full, clear, and y exact description.

-' A wheel embodying the present invention has a plurality of yielding radial cushions which project so as to engage with theroad as the wheel rotates, each cushionl being independently movable, and its inward movement being resisted by an arrangement of two springs, substantially as shown, whereby they do 'otbcr much resistance toeuthe initial inward movement of the cushion, but do, after the cushion has moved inward'a suitable distance, rapidly increase the resistance to a continuation of such movement. I

The invention resides mainly in the inanner in which these springs are applied to produce the described action; but it also includes other novel features of construction and combinations of parts which contribute to the practical efficiency of the.

wheel, all of which is shown in the drawing and hereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

En' the drawing, Figure l is a side elevation partly in section, of a wheel to which only four of 'the spring cushions have been applied; and Fig.2 is a plan view of said wheel before any of the cushions' and asso;

ciated devices have been applied to it.

The wheels, as shown, consist of the hub portion `l anda rim portion 2. The hub vportion is of cylindrical for-1n and fits a concentric opening in, the 'rim ortion. The latter has an outwardly extends flange on each side; and bolts 3 passin this liange and through thecylindrical sur- ,tace of thehub portion connect -these two partstogether. The hub through its side.

are secured together by bolts 5 indicated by dotted lines in F ig. 2. The described` construction is thought to be novel, and is the best construction now Known to me; but

cent rows.

0 through n ortion is preferably a hollow casting having hand holes 4' The rim portion is made orf two counterpart pieces Qa and 2b which the principal part of the invention is'lnot` dependent-upon this precise construction; nor is it intended that the claims bc limited to such construction, excepting only thc claims in which such limitation is plainly' expressed.

In the rim" are a plurality of spring barrels 7, which pass entirely through the riln in radial directions. The rini is preferably a casting, and the spring barrels shown may be formed by cores; but this is not essential to the primary invention; These spring barrels are arranged in lci'rouinferential rows, and thebarrels ineach row are staggered with respect tothe barrels in adja- Only two of thesev rows' are shown in the drawing, but the number of rows is not material.; y

When the riin is secured-uponthe hub, the outer periphery of theV hub furnishes spring seats 8 for the' several springbarrels. Acrosseach springvbarrel, at a suitable distance between its ends, is an annular flange 9 which also serves as ,a spring seat. The annular opening through this iiangeis for the passage of the plunger 1(1). EaCh'barrel containssuch a plunger which projects" beyond the vperipheny ofthe .rirnandhas an enlarged head 1l onfits outer end Each plunger has also an integral steinl` of smaller diameter whichl extends inward, passing through a hole in the seat 8,`-that is to say, a hole in the periphery of the hub, in the construction shown. The inner end of `this stein within the hub is threaded, y

Surrounding the plungeraiid lyingbeA tween the head ll andthe spring seatf) is a coiled spring' 14. The externalfdialneter of the spring is as great as theci-rcumstances will permit in view of the, requirements that it must operate within the.: springbairol. The internal diameter of the zspringis- .such that it tits the plunger ll0' as closely `as itcan and be 4operativel in the manner described. Another spring l5 surroundsthestern 12 lying between two washers L1G andlf-,which loosely embrace the stem 12,'-'-one ofsaid washer-s beingjust outside 'ofthespi-ing seat 8, and the other being just' inside thefsprin'g seat 9. A sleeve 18 lits nicely around the stem l2, and in the hole through the seat 8. A nut 20 is screwed onto the inner end of the stem within the hub. Thehand holes through the sides of the hub permit the introduction and operation o such wrenches as are required to turn up these nuts. AS

G5 fresists the inward motion of` said cushion.

this r nut is screwed on, the tistresult will be to move sleeve :18, washer 16, spring 15l and washer 17 outward until washer 17 engages with the spring seat 9. As the nut is still further screwed on, both springs will beA put under tension which may beregula'ted in accordance with the desires. The positionv of the parts when they have been adjusted for use, vwill be substantially as -shown in the drawing. Each plunger and its parts, and the associated springs, etc., as described constitute a cushion.

'Whem in use, any cushion may come in contact with the road, so that when the cushion is called upon to sustain weight, the I plunger will be forced inward more or less. The inward movement will at 'rst be resisted by spring 14, and will be assisted by spring 15, the resistance increasing as the compression of sprin 14 is increased,`and the assisting force o spring 15 decreasing as it is relieved Afrom tension, until washer 16 engages the head 8. 'At this time spring 15 should have resumed its normal condition.

n to furthermovement rapidly increases. in

other words, wh1le the cushions may move easily at first, they are not easily moved far.

The heads on the outer ends of the plungers areof such size and the barrels are arranged in such relation' to each other, substantially as shown, that the heads in each row overlap heads 1n adjacent rows. It, therefore, l1s never possible for one ofthe cushions,'as the wheel rotates, to move out of contact with the road bed until another cushion l'has moved into contact therewith. -Wl1ile the described arrangement of springs 'and associated parts is 'shown aspart of-a wheei, it is adapted for use in any other connection when a cushion having the described action is required.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cushion tired wheel, the combination of a rim having a plurality of radial spring vbarrels and cushions projectingr respectively therefrom, two springs within the spring barrel arranged so thatnormally one.

spring resists the inward movement of 4the cushion and the other spring assists the initial inward movement of the .cushion with gradually decreasing force and ultimately 2. In a cushion tired wh'eel,the combinatien of`a rim carrying a plurality of radial spring barrels each of which contains one spring seat between its ends and another spring seat near its inner end, with the following mechanism associated with. each spring barrel,.towit, a plunger movable in the outer end of said spring barrel and projecting outward therefrom and having at4 its outer end an enlarged head and having a stem projecting 4from its inner end through both spring seats,.a coiled spring embracing the plunger between the head and' one of said spring seats, another spring embracing the stem-between the two spring seats, washlers embracing the stem betweenthe spring seats and at opposite ends respectively of the last mentioned spring, and a nut screwed' onto the inner end of said tension tolboth springs.

3.' In a cushion tired wheel, the combina tion of a rim' carrying a plurality of radial stem for applying spring barrels each of which contains one spring seat between its ends and another springv seat near its inner end,.with the following mechanism associated with each s ring barrel to wit a' lun ermovable in l P s a 7 P g the outer end of said spring barrel and projfecting outward therefrom and having at itsouter end an enlarged head and having a stem projecting from its inner end through both spring seats, a. coiled spring embracing the plunger between the head one of said spring seats, another spring embracing the-stem between the' two spring seats, Washers embracing the stem between the spring seats and at opposite ends respectively of the last mentionedtspring, a sleeve embracing the stem and passing throughuthe inner spring seat and engaginer with the adjaceht washer', and a nut screwed onto the inner end of the stem and engaging with said sleeve.

t. A spring cushion for wheels and analogouspurposes consisting of a spring barrel having one spring seat near its end and an'- other between its ends, a plunger movable in one end of said spring barrel and having a T51-aad outside of said s ring' barrel and having a stem projecting rmthe other'end of said. plunger and extended through both spring seats, a coiled spring embracing tlie-'\\ plunger between the head and' one spring seat, a second coiled spring embracing the :stem between the springv seats, two washers embracing the stem between the spring seats and at opposite ends of the'second'spring and adapted for engagement respectively with said spring, a sleeve embracing the stem and passing through one of the spring seats tion of a rim havin barrels extending ra. 'ally through it, a hub which is fitted Within and secured to said rim and Whose periphery serves as un inner spring Seat for sald Spring barrels, and cushions operating in and projecting from said spring barrels.

6. In a cushion tired Wheel, the combination of a rim made. of two counterpart Sections, each having a row of radial spring barrels, means connecting said sections together, and a hub which is fitted Within and 10 secured to said rim.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JASPER MURREY.

Vitnesses F. L. THURsToN, E. B. Glnomus'r. 

